• German: luxuriös

• Italian: lussuoso

• ttbc Telugu: విలాసవంతమైన (vilaasavamtamaina)

See also

• luxury
• luxuriously

"Luxurious" is a pop song written by Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal for Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby (2004). It samples the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets" (1983).

In Addition to the Isley Brothers sample, the song features use of keyboards, synthesizers and electric guitars. The song is a slow jam love song and the lyrics describe the persona's desire to be rich in love, simultaneously comparing her lover with luxuries. The song also features Stefani's husband Gavin Rossdale who opens the song in French. The song was released as the album's fifth single in late 2005 (see 2005 in music) along with a remix. A music video featuring rapper Slim Thug was also released which featured the Harajuku Girls as well. The track received mixed reviews from critics, who generally found the track less impressive than the previous singles. It entered the top forty worldwide but had mediocre success overall and was less popular than the previous singles from L.A.M.B.

Writing process

Stefani had an emotional breakdown from difficulties collaborating with many other artists and songwriters, so No Doubt bassist and former boyfriend Tony Kanal invited her to his house. Kanal had been working on a track, which later became "Crash", the sixth single from the album. However, the two were unable to write anything following that, because they had differing ideas of how the music should sound. The two experimented with combining various melodies and including what Stefani referred to as "this really kinda fast rappy part".

sound sample box align left Nellee Hooper, who suggested a sample of The Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets". The song had previously been sampled in several songs such as Da Brat's "Funkdafied", Jim Jones' "Summer Wit Miami", The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa", and Whitney Houston's "One of Those Days". Stefani was reluctant to use the sample because it would mean losing some of the publishing rights to the song. Nevertheless, she decided to use it because "it sounded so amazing and meant to be". It is written in common time in the key of A minor. The song uses a descending i-vii-VI-V chord progression. The lyrics of the song include descriptions of wealth and riches, what one reviewer called "a world of Egyptian cotton, cashmere, tuberoses, and, of course, diamonds". Stefani stated that "[the] song really is more about a love relationship. If you really listen to the lyrics, it has nothing to do with money or luxury. It has to do with love, being rich in love. I just wanted to think of a clever way to express how you have to work really hard for the rewards of that."

The song begins with Stefani's husband Gavin Rossdale speaking in French.

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews from music critics. About.com commented that "if Madonna is wishing to pass on her 'Material Girl' title, Gwen Stefani is happy to wear it proudly" but noted that "things are wearing a little thin, and this song doesn't have the striking impact of "Rich Girl" or "Hollaback Girl. OHM Media agreed, saying that, "'Luxurious' is by no means a bad song, but it is pretty ordinary when compared to the songs that have preceded it." Contactmusic called Stefani's performance "as seductive as ever, and the production extremely polished, but it lacks the infectiousness of her other releases"; it found Slim Thug's remix unnecessary and called the single's release "a money - spinning exercise". MyVillage agreed, stating that the single "just doesn't stand out" and that Stefani "doesn't do hip hop as well as she does quirky pop", Slant magazine called the lyrics "surprisingly sharp"; Pitchfork Media disagreed, referring to the song as a "soulless Nellee Hooper 90s R&B vanity affair" and a "zombied buy - LAMB - clothing mantra".

Chart performance

"Luxurious" had mediocre success in North America. In the United States, the single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 5, 2005 at number eighty. It failed to reach the top twenty, peaking at number twenty-one five weeks later, and remained on the chart for twenty weeks. It performed better on the pop-oriented charts, reaching number ten on the Top 40 Mainstream, number thirteen on the Pop 100, and number thirty-seven on the Adult Top 40. The track also had some crossover success, charting at number nine on the Rhythmic Top 40 and number thirty-three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. "Luxurious" was more successful on the Canadian Singles Chart, where it peaked at number ten in its sixth week on the chart.

Music video

The music video for "Luxurious" was directed by Sophie Muller. In the video, Stefani plays a chola in high school. It peaked at number seven and left the countdown after only five days. After its October 21 debut on MuchMusic's Countdown, it peaked at number eleven nine weeks later, remaining on the chart for thirteen weeks. The video was featured on an episode of MuchMusic's Video on Trial, where the reviewers found it a superficial attempt to market to various races.

Formats & Track listings

CD single

1. "Luxurious" (Album Version) -4:24
2. "Luxurious" (Remix featuring Slim Thug) -4:04
3. "Cool" (Richard X Remix) -6:37
4. "Luxurious" Video

12" Vinyl Single

SIDE A

1. "Luxurious" (Album Version) -4:24
2. "Luxurious" (Remix featuring Slim Thug) -4:04

SIDE B

1. "Luxurious" (Instrumental) -4:24
2. "Luxurious" (Acapella)

Some Vinyl Copies accidentally have the Slim Thug remix twice on side A.

Charts

Credits and personnel

• Lead vocals: Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale
• Producers: Nellee Hooper, Tony Kanal
• Recording engineers: Colin "Dog" Mitchell, Simon Gogerly, Greg Collins, Jason Lader
• Audio programmers: Tony Kanal, Chipz, Aiden Love, Simon Gogerly, Jason Lader
• Assistant engineers: Ian Rossiter, Kevin Mills
• Keyboards: Tony Kanal, Sheldon Conrich
• Synthesizers: Tony Kanal
• Audio mixing: Mark "Spike" Stent
• Assistant engineer: David Treaheam
• Mix programming: Lee Groves
• Second assistant engineer: Rob Haggett

References

External links

• Gwen Stefani's official site
  • "Luxurious" lyrics
  • Love. Angel. Music. Baby. audio

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